This is War
by Lisitair
Summary: AU Viridian. Gone. Pallet. Gone. The rest of the world? Fate unknown. The monsters have made their move after years of waiting, throwing the regions into turmoil. It's kill or be killed and Kanto is their first target. But they won't accept it. They'll fight. They'll all fight... They have to.
1. Prologue

Warning: AU where people and Pokemon do not coexist.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon

* * *

**Prologue: The Unspoken Declaration**

* * *

April 7th XXXX, 10:23

It has been noted that recent activity within the forests have sky rocketed for unknown reasons, the monsters residing within them are growing restless and people are uneasy. We have lived beside one another for decades, ignoring each other's presence but is it starting to change now? And why is it happening?

April 7th XXXX, 14:47

The first sighting has been recorded as a couple spotted several lurking near the outskirts of town. Eye witness reports claim them to be a group of rather intimidating oversized wasps with nasty looking stingers and a large bear. Caution warnings have been transmitted to every human in the region. Maybe we should take this time to study those monsters further before something drastic happens…

April 9th XXXX, 13:00

They appear to be gathering. Towns and cities have posted watchmen during the nights with continuously rotating shifts, guards always spot tiny pinpricks in the distance belonging to the ever watching eyes of our new observers.

April 10th XXXX, 20:33

A mandatory council was called for all adults residing in Pallet Town in order to discuss how to deal with the new threat. The children are terrified and the nervous actions of their parents are no consolidation to their fears. They decided to station weapons upon rooftops. Hopefully, they won't be necessary but even my wife is starting to panic with the added stress of our son due to being born soon.

April 17th XXXX, 12:16

Minimized versions of ballistas have been constructed and set up. It is obvious that residents feel safer with protections, but still the monsters are growing in numbers. Is it possible that we did something to provoke them with realising it? The threat of these monsters still looms over us despite it.

April 20th XXXX, 4:52

My son has been born. Finally, there is something for the citizens of Pallet Town to rejoice about. Hopefully, young Samuel will grow up in a safe and happy environment but I fear that is too much to ask for. This is why I must continue my research as the town's Professor: for the future generation.

April 22nd XXXX, 7:21

There has been an attack. A young teenaged boy named Grey has been severely injured by a stray monster-bear and the watchman on duty shot it on sight. The bear retreated back into the forest with a roar and the local healer rushed to tend to the boy. The aggressive move has spread panic and disorder, even to the nearby Viridian City. What will become of us now?

April 22nd XXXX, 15:57

I have been called to see the boy as the monsters are apparently my area of expertise. His mother is in hysterics whilst Grey himself is still unconscious.

April 22nd XXXX, 19:49

I fear he will not last the night. His wounds are deep and the healer is running out of ideas to help him. He is bleeding profoundly. What was so special about that bear's attack that had caused such grievous injuries?

April 22nd XXXX, 22:18

The boy has died and the town is in mourning. Another council has been called and the people are angry and scared. They call for blood.

April 24th XXXX, 6:45

The residents woke up at the crack of dawn to build weapons to fight back. I was forced up to my lab to study more on the monsters. It is foolish. What else am I supposed to study? Unless we can capture one for examination, there is no more that I can do.

April 25th XXXX, 6:05

A young man came banging at my door. He apparently had captured a small purple rat and had it detained inside a sturdy cage. It is sure to further my research greatly but he woke up my son and I am none too happy about it.

April 26th XXXX, 15:23

It is fascinating to observe the small creature some more, I have named it Rattata as it is the only word that it ever utters. It appears to know of only one physical attacking move as it tries to escape its confines by ramming itself against the bars. Another repeated movement is the wagging of its curled tail. What affect was that supposed to have? Curious. Simply curious.

April 28th XXXX, 17:44

I have yet to determine the sort of food it enjoys but it appears to consume everything I feed it. I assume that it requires nutrition as it takes it all despite its obvious discontentment. Perhaps something from the nearby route? No. It is too dangerous to send anyone out there. I will think of something else.

May 2nd XXXX, 12:38

Something fascinating has occurred. After numerous failed escape attempts, the Rattata became enveloped in a great light before changing shape. Its speech patterns have changed and it has come up with several other methods to try the get out instead of simply charging at the bars. Are all of these monsters capable of getting stronger in such a way?

May 4th XXXX, 7:01

The creature has escaped during the night and the entire town is in a frenzy. So far, no casualties have been noticed. Maybe it just scuttled back to its home? In any case, it certainly isn't in my lab anymore if the gaping hole in the bottom left corner of my door is anything to prove it. From what I had seen so far of it, it shouldn't be so much of a threat as the giant bear but everyone is still on high alert. No one wants to end up like Grey.

May 5th XXXX, 16:27

A region wide conference is to be held in Saffron City. I'm expected to attend but I couldn't possibly leave Pallet Town, not with the constant danger that lurks outside the town walls. Maybe a video call would be suffice?

May 5th XXXX, 21:49

It turned out that almost everyone had opted for the video call. New arrangements have been made to deal with the monsters, the biggest change being the introduction of 'Division Leaders' and the 'Elite Four' as well as a head of the entire operation. I'm unsure of how effective this solution will be but at least now, humanity has a fighting chance if the situation ever calls for it.

May 7th XXXX, 10:23

It has been a month since we first noticed the general activity of the monsters growing. They have invaded the towns in their masses. There are high casualties. Flying monsters destroyed our weapons in an instant. We are defenceless. We are all temporarily evacuating underground but I must save my precious research first, I refuse to abandon everything I have worked for. My wife and son are already safe but no one realises what is truly going on. But I do. The attack was a declaration of how our peaceful times of living have come to an end.

_This is war._

* * *

Please review if you have the time, I'd love to hear what you think, criticisms and all. Note that this is only the Prologue and the rest of the story won't be set in a diary-like format. Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 1: Leaf

Hey~ It's me again with the next part of This is War. I'm here to say a huge thank you to pikagurl23, XxCherriesandChocolatexX and Sleepy Doodles for reviewing and everyone else who viewed and followed.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon

* * *

**Chapter 1: Extreme Annihilation**

* * *

Leaf

A slender brunette huffed in dissatisfaction as she closed the leather-bound journal with a soft thud for the umpteenth time. It had belonged to her mentor's father, a great man whom she aspired to be like and drew inspiration from despite his passing many years before her birth. She had enjoyed learning about his research after furiously rereading his notes in rapt awe but the journal was different. It breathed life into the man whom she idolised but his adventures were cut short as several of the last pages had been charred beyond recognition, most likely due to the work of a fire-monster during a surprise raid or something of the sort. Even _she_ couldn't decipher a word of it.

It was hard to imagine a world that wasn't overrun by the fear of constant attack and death; humankind had been at war with a species stronger than itself for longer than her parents could remember. The monsters stole away their freedom and happiness. They were brutal creatures with no sense of restraint or mercy, slaughtering backpackers travelling from town to town or outright attacking small settlements in hordes. They infuriated her. It was why she was so immersed with helping Professor Oak with continuing his father's work.

Or maybe it wasn't.

Perhaps her dedication was an act of self-satisfaction and an urge to leave her mark in the history books much like her hero. Even so, it didn't matter. Not to the girl anyway. If it was for a more peaceful future or for her own selfish reasons, Leaf Green was determined to aid in the war effort in her own way. And she did, more so than the other two her age that lived in Pallet Town anyway.

For starters, Ash Ketchum was a bundle of naïve ideals and visions of coexisting with the monsters. It didn't take a genius to work out that the chances of that ever occurring were slim and none considering how they ravaged villages. The boy was nothing compared to his legend of a father who was brave and heroic, possessing all the qualities a good leader should have. Ash was a dreamer, unable to face the harsh truths of reality and accept that they were at war.

Gary Oak was a different case altogether. He was the great grandson of the man Leaf admired so much but despite this, he was more suited for the physical aspects of the battle rather than using his brains like his kin. He held a fierce desire to join the League and then to fight his way to the top, something that Leaf knew she could never appreciate. Gary had previously lacked opportunities but his 18th birthday had passed not too long ago, allowing him to join a Division and set off to fight. His arrogance would be sorely missed.

Several raps on the door broke her train of thought before it opened to reveal a wizened old man donning the same knee length lab coat that Leaf had on.

"Miss Green, you really shouldn't spend your time cooped up in here reading." He reprimanded her softly, eyes landing on the worn book in her hands. "Despite how fascinating my father's entries were, I believe it's time to get some work done."

Leaf nodded, hesitantly leaving the book at the desk before getting to her feet and followed the Professor out of the musty room. The man had recently acquired a new test subject, a small yellow rat-like monster that had been classified as electric. The League would often send new species to him, creatures they had taken captive through ambushes or strays from raids, and the Professor would proceed with his regular chain of experiments.

"It's what the League classifies as a 'Pikachu' this time." He remarked, handing her a clipboard with a new form attached to it. Leaf rested it in the crook of her elbow where it sat snugly before grasping at the pen that swung from it.

The first would be an attempt of communication.

The man crouched down to meet the monster in the glass cage at eyelevel, watching the enraged creature with a look of sadness and pity. Stray bolts of lightning reflected against the walls of its enclosure, the monster's red cheeks crackling furiously with electricity. The rat was the embodiment of rage, no doubt it had been held captive for weeks before his arrival at the Pallet Town labs.

Leaf watched as Professor Oak murmured quietly to it but it refused to calm down, much like the previous attempts that had been made on the others. The monsters lacked the sophisticated intellect that humans possessed, preferring to express themselves through combat and displays of immense power. The girl sighed deeply, scrawling the words 'no progress' in her cursive script on the day's notes.

No progress.

It was a lost cause but the Professor refused to give up and Leaf could only observe in frustration whilst the fruitless tests continued. Even so, the League put their faith in him, hoping that one day, they would be able to establish a language that both human and monster could converse. Leaf scoffed, the very same League that promoted killing them on sight and dedicated its entire purpose to ridding the threat towards them.

It was a wonder why Gary obsessed over them. He was actually due to leave Pallet the next day to join the 8th Division based in Viridian City not too far away. Given the opportunity, he would spend hours bragging and making boisterous comments about how many Dragon monsters he would slay in his journey to the top of the League. The dragons were known as the strongest. They were once only known as the fearsome antagonists of fairy tales read to children in their adolescence but their nightmares truly came alive when the first sightings of them were spotted. Other regions made notes of large monsters with almost reptilian like features that dominated the world, having unstoppable amounts of sheer power and few to no weaknesses.

However the youngest and most foolish Oak's dreams would be cut short. No one mentioned that few Dragon monsters could be found in the Kanto Region. That and Viridian mainly focused on dealing with Ground monsters such as the behemoth snake made of rocks or the hedgehog-like creature with sharp claws. Leaf gave a small shudder, taken over by a brief lapse of attention as Professor Oak continued to watch the Electric rat. Many a time had a resident been rushed to the lab with the medic in tow with deep gashes streaking down their sides. The Professor's lab was one of the only sterile buildings in Pallet so people had taken to treating those who had suffered from monster attacks there, much to Leaf's discontentment as they regularly interrupted the conduction of their experiments. She would grimace at the appearance of the next victim, beaten ragged like a worn out doll and staining the ground where they lay an ominous crimson.

Leaf could only begin to imagine the horrors out there in the woods. The brunette rarely frequented outside of the lab and only then was it to go home and see her parents; she had her own room in the lab so she saw no reason to leave too often. But she could still picture it: the wild gleam of the monster's eyes before they pounced on the next unfortunate traveller, their claws like knives, sharpened and cutting through flesh as if it wasn't there.

The very thought of them made her sick to her stomach. In the background, the room was alight with crackles of electricity but Leaf's mind had wandered once more, ignoring the rough growls and snarls emitting from the container. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea that one of her childhood friends would be leaving soon. He had always expressed a great desire to join the League…

* * *

_A small spikey haired boy with brown hair gave a lopsided grin as he punched his fist triumphantly in the air. "I win again, Ashy-boy!" He laughed as a smaller dark haired child lay at his feet._

"_No way! I can still go on!" 'Ashy-boy' complained, wiping away the dirt stains on his cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm not losing to someone like you!"_

_The two clenched their hands into small fists as they started fighting once more._

"_I'm going to join the League when I'm older and I'll be the best!" The brunette declared as he was punched in the face. "I'll leave the boundaries of this town and bring back fame and glory when I return home as a 20 something year old war hero with only one arm and leg!"_

"_Wow Gary, so you've already decided what you're gonna do?" 'Ashy-boy' shot him a brief look of awe before flinching as he was hit in the stomach. _

"_Of course." Gary grinned before pausing in confusion. "But isn't that what you're going to do as well? Aren't you going to join the League and aim to be the Division Head like your Dad?" _

_The raven haired boy shook his head as the two stopped at their antics. "I don't know… I just want to stay home and-"_

"_Is it because you're a wuss?" Gary challenged, a smirk forming on his face. _

"_No!" He protested, waving his arms in the air as he panicked. "No. I'll go out but I don't wanna hurt anyone, that's all!"_

"_So you're a wuss?"_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too."_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too."_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too."_

"_SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO READ?"_

_The two stopped and looked to the side where a young girl was sat with a large book resting on her lap. She glared at them, a scowl on her face. Leaf looked as if she was about to murder someone, possibly with the thick and weighty tome in her hands. _

"_Honestly, you're both so childish." She said, rolling her eyes. "I don't see why anyone would even want to set foot from here, where it's safe. Ash, don't listen to this idiot. Why don't you just join the lab and use your intellect rather than go out where there's an insanely high risk of dying."_

_Ash gasped, eyes wide. "D-dying? Like… Going to sleep and never waking up?"_

_Leaf blinked in mild surprise before shaking her head and muttering something to herself where Gary caught the words 'sheltered' and 'naïve'. _

"_Woah woah woah! Hold up!" Gary frowned, holding a hand in the air. "Use his intellect? What do you mean?"_

_The girl tilted her head to the side, opening her mouth to ask what he was trying to say._

"_You can't use something that doesn't exist."_

_Oh._

"_Gary, that's mean!" Ash whined, raising his fists above his head to continuously whack his friend. "Wait-" He paused. "What does that mean?"_

_The other two sighed and looked away from him quickly. Leaf later admitted that maybe asking him the join her with Professor Oak might have been a small mistake on her behalf and vowed to never bring it up again._

* * *

The brunette smiled fondly at her memories, a look of nostalgia phasing though her features. Several more hours and she wouldn't see him for maybe a few years… Leaf froze before violently shoving the thought from her mind. It wasn't like she cared that much or anything.

"Professor Oak! Professor Oak!" The pants of a panicked and shocked youngster rang through the air, interrupting the last phase of experiment.

Leaf gave a small shriek as a light blush blossomed on her face, having not really given any attention to her surroundings and her mentor who had still been busily testing the rat, the loud noise startled her.

The boy was out of breath and sweating with his eyes wide with fear. He stumbled to the ground as the automatic sliding doors opened to allow him through, collapsing in a way as if he had just sprinted the entirety of a marathon. Beside him, his blue cap floated to the ground, damp with sweat.

"Ben." The man raised his brow in surprise before putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

The small child known as Ben looked up and met the older professor's eyes. "It's Viridian City, sir." He looked as if he was about to pass out at any moment.

"It's gone… Viridian City has been destroyed."

* * *

**AN:** Be sure to remember to tell me what you think, constructive criticism is welcome. The main character of each chapter will be jumping around a lot later on and hopefully, it won't be too disastrous and confusing.

After this chapter, expect major delays... Exams are coming up and I've been badgered to revise for them so I apologise in advance if I don't update in a while. Sorry!


	3. Chapter 2: Ash

I'm still alive! I'm so sorry for the insanely late update, school has been an absolute pain with exams and and a never ending stream of controlled assessments. Thank you to XxCherriesandChocolatexX, Sleepy Doodles and Katz Monster for the reviews and to everyone else for being so patient.

**Disclaimer:** I do no own Pokemon

* * *

**Chapter 2: Resolve**

* * *

Ash

_In a wide expanse of bright white, there is nothing. Nothing exists and nothing will ever exist. But even so, the fabrics of time and space can be torn asunder by the transcendent power of an almighty god. In its own domain, it is finally free from the shackles that once bound it._

_Yet in some ways, it is not. In its last and successful attempt at escape, it had left a part of it behind. Its soul. Its very being. Without it, the world will begin to crumble. With it, the darkness that lies in wait will be free to roam the lands, boundless. _

"_Hey, you!"_

_A shape that shone more intense than any of the bleak colours that painted the blank world it was in rose from the air. Its voice was melodic and pleasant to hear._

"_Yes," A giggle. "I'm talking to you. Who else is there?"_

_There was no reply, as expected. The high pitched and rather feminine voice echoed as the shape spoke._

"_You may not know what or where I am…" The shape paused before continuing. "But we're a lot closer than you think, you know."_

_The shape seemed to twirl in the air, pulling a perfect summersault whilst hanging suspended, not touching the ground. The bell-like laughter drew on for several moments more._

"_Oh. We won't meet any time soon though." It added as a side thought. "When we do, you'll recognise me, right?" _

_A hint of sadness tinged its voice after the last statement, almost as if it already knew the answer._

"_But no worries!" The shape seemed to pull an expression that signified joy. "In the meantime, you enjoy yourself. Don't worry, you're story isn't going to end as soon as you think."_

_It twirled again, followed by a third bout of chuckling._

"_You have a long way to go until we see each other on the other side but when we do, I promise. I'll tell you everything… That is, if you can understand." The shape sighed. "I think the time is nearly up, just don't do anything that will get you killed, okay? Oh! And before I forget, Red told me to tell you that-"_

"Ash! Ash! Get up this instant!"

A raven haired boy sleepily cracked open an eye, momentarily blinded by the light. In his half-conscious state of mind, the urgency that dripped from his mother's voice remained unnoticed. Sleep clouded his judgement, being particularly annoyed at his slumber being interrupted. It felt as if he dreamt of something important… But what?

"Ash Ketchum!"

A series and loud footsteps grew increasingly closer when the door to his bedroom flung open with a bang, jolting the teen awake. He lay groggily, sprawled out on his mattress when the weight above him disappeared and he was plunged into the freezing cold as the air nipped at his exposed skin.

"Ash, get up this instance! It's urgent."

"Mum..?"

He watched the tall figure through squinted eyes before slowly turning his head to the alarm clock that lay at his bedside table. 11:23 am.

"What ungodly hour in the morning is this-" He began sleepily before the woman before him gave a shriek.

"Ash please, the entire town is in a panic." His mother explained, shaking the teen awake. "One of the Youngsters ran in just a few moments ago with news of the destruction of Viridian City. Professor Oak has called a meeting."

It took several moments for the information to finally sink in. Ash's eyes widened considerably as he finally realised the gravity of his mother's words.

"What do you mean, Viridian City is destroyed?" He sprang up, nearly hitting his head against his mother's as she had been leaning over his bed with the usual irritated stance she adopted whenever he woke up late.

Her eyes suddenly softened and she sighed whilst shaking her head. "I mean exactly what I said." She murmured sadly, pulling the teen into a hug. "It was a raid not too long ago. They say that the entire city was reduced to nothing in a matter of minutes."

They remained like that for several more moments. Ash had refused to pull away when he felt a light trickle of water dampening the back of his pyjama shirt. She was a kind and sensitive woman, grieving for every person that was lost in the fight, regardless of their name, age or gender, and he refused to let her be in pain whilst she did so.

"Those poor people…" Her voice was muffled and about to crack. "All gone."

"Was it…" Ash's breath caught in his throat as he mused for a moment if his question was really all that necessary. "It was the monsters, wasn't it?"

The answer was obvious but he hoped that maybe this one time, it wasn't them…

His mother nodded, choking out a quick 'yes' and his heart sank.

When he was a child, he had always dreamt of playing with the so called monsters but his mother his forbidden it, claiming that it was too dangerous. He had never understood back then, and he had expressed his anger freely. Ash had eventually grown up and learnt more about the world but he never truly lost the desire to make friends of them rather than enemies.

And in a few more moments, his mother composed herself again. It also turned out that she had been right.

By the time Ash had managed to get fully dressed in his usual outfit of a hoodie, navy undershirt, powder blue trousers, black gloves and the all-important red cap that lay on his head, the townspeople had already begun to gather outside of Oak's lab. The man himself could be seen from the lab window, scurrying around the vicinity with lose papers floating around and a frantic Leaf running to a fro.

"Can you believe it?" A familiar masculine voice spoke out from behind him, causing Ash to jump in surprise. "A few hours ago, everything was fine. Perfect, even but the monsters have ruined everything. Do you still want to go and play make-believe with them now, Ashy-boy?"

"Gary!" Ash gasped, clutching his chest as the brown haired teen materialised by his side. "When did you get here?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "A lot earlier than you did." He replied, pointedly observing his friend's bed head. "Did you only just get up now or..?"

"S-shut up." The raven haired teen said, wishing he had thought of a better comeback before opening his big mouth. He had sounded pathetic and he knew it. "I broke my alarm clock again-"

Gary shushed him. "Gramps is going to speak, be quiet."

The man had strode out of his lab with a grave expression on his face, a look that Ash had been seeing a lot lately. It wasn't an understatement to say that the new had shook the town to its very core, even the usual confident and arrogant Gary had a glazed look in his eyes.

"I'm sure all of you have heard by now of the news that Viridian City along with its entire population and Division Base has been completely destroyed." The Professor began, surveying the townspeople. "We've received a notice from our flight radar that the monsters that attacked have now left and retreated back west from where they came."

His words were met with a sighs of relief but he wasn't done just yet.

"However, we have no way of checking for any survivors from afar so in order to-"

"I'll go." A voice interrupted the man, drawing the attention onto himself. "I know what you're asking Gramps, I'll go to Viridian."

If the Professor was surprise by the notion of Gary volunteering, he didn't show it. His face remained unchanged as he gave him a brief nod. "Be careful and take a weapon. I know you're not trained yet but you are skilled enough as it is with a blade."

"Will do." Gary pulled a small smile.

"But Gary, you can't!" Ash protested, clamping a hand on his friend's arm. "It's dangerous. You'll have to go through the Route and-"

"Then what do you suppose we all do, Ash?" He challenged, narrowing his eyes at the teen. "Just sit around and wait until the League send help whilst there could be survivors buried under the rubble?"

"I…" Ash hesitated for a moment. "I'll go with you."

"What?" A shocked explosion of noise followed his statement as everyone quickly turned to face a stunned Leaf. "You can't possibly-"

"That's enough." Professor Oak murmured to her quietly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's decided then." He addressed the rest of Pallet. "Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum will leave for Viridian City to search for survivors. Meeting adjourned."

The crowd dispersed at his words, the townsfolk shooting the two worried glances as they passed to continue with their daily tasks. The job of going to Viridian was one no one had particularly wanted but two teens had just volunteered to go. Ash glanced behind him, a surge of guilt rushing through him.

There stood his mother, eyes wide with two hands clasped around her mouth. Her shoulders were trembling yet Ash shot her a toothy grin.

"I'll be okay." He called to her as Gary handed him a knife in a sheath which he attached to his belt. "Everything will be just fine."

Gary nodded at him, tugging at his jacket. "We're going now."

Ash waved at his mother. "I promise, we'll come back okay. It's all okay."

* * *

Nothing was okay. It was like a living nightmare.

Whilst the journey through the Route had been almost disappointingly uneventful, the city was still smoking when the two arrived. Ash felt Gary stiffen as he cast his gaze at the wreckage that was once Viridian City. Rubble and debris cluttered their path and no buildings were left standing, if he hadn't known any better, he would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had just arrived at a landfill site of sorts.

Although he had never visited the settlement before, Ash could picture it. He could imagine the faux peaceful atmosphere that flooded the city like it did with Pallet Town. He could imagine the families sitting together for a lunch that would never be finished. He could imagine the cries of a small child, blissfully unaware of the horrors that awaited it in the outside world. He could imagine it all, the people going about their daily lives and in a single moment: destruction.

"There's nothing left." Gary breathed, taking a step onto the uneven ground. "It's really gone. Viridian City is really gone."

He continued onwards, taking care to not slip as chunks of brick wobbled under his weight. The spiky haired brunet paused for a moment, a half covered metallic symbol catching the light.

"This is where the Division Base would have been." Gary murmured. "This is where I would have been a day from now."

Although he would never admit it, Ash could see that his best friend and rival was shaken. Despite his own ideals, he wasn't oblivious to the feelings of others.

The teen continued to talk to himself in a hushed whisper as he crouched down, gently tracing the League Emblem with his finger and lacing it with the dirt that soiled the surface. Beneath it, he unearthed a grimy sliver of metal. It was small, moulded into the shape of a green plant of sorts and both teens recognised it instantly. Unique badges were given to members or particular divisions and it went without saying that the token clutched in Gary's hand had belonged to the Eighth Division.

"One more day." He sighed, standing up again and wiping his hands against his trousers. "One day more and this could have been me too."

His back was turned to the raven haired teen but he noticed that he was trembling.

Gary Oak was shaking.

He clenched his fist around the badge and threw his head backwards.

"Dammit!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Dammit!" His voice quietened as he sank back to his knees again. "Why did this have to happen?"

A shadow passed through his face when he fell silent once more.

"G-Gary..?" Ash hesitantly moved forwards, unsure of what to do for his friend. "Everyone in Pallet would understand if you don't want to join the League anymore-"

"No Ash." He interrupted. "If anything, I'm more desperate to join the League than ever… I swear." He muttered in an increasingly angry voice. "I swear I'll get to the top and bring an end to this damn war."

"And I'll do it too."

The brown haired teen's expression morphed into one of surprise for a brief moment.

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Will you really?"

Ash nodded, determination flaring in his eyes. "I'm going to join the League too." _So that I can change its workings from the inside in hopes of being able to coexist with these so called monsters._

Gary relaxed, holding out a hand for his friend to shake. "Then we can do this together. We'll join the League and crush them. For good."

* * *

**AN: **Constructive criticism is welcome but I'd love to hear what you think of this even so. To be completely honest, I'm not exactly happy with this chapter and if I ever have time for a rewrite, this has shot to the top of the list.

Next chapter, we'll be taking a small break from Kanto and jumping to the wonderful region of Kalos to see how things are looking over there~ I'm testing a different format for chapters with one character being the focal point of each one... Hopefully it's going to work out alright.


	4. Chapter 3: Serena

I am alive!

And I'm so sorry for the huge delay . So much is happening in school right now but on a brighter note, I'm going to be attending Manchester MCM Comic Con this year and I'm super excited for it!

Also, another note for this chapter. The main focus here is Serena and please just be aware that I have a sort of weird headcanon where Professor Sycamore is her father who has divorced her mother so this is just a heads up since it'll be appearing here ^-^

As usual, thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Departure**

* * *

Serena

A man dressed in a knee-length white lab coat ran a hand through his dark hair as he sighed, leaning over a complex looking machine that emitted frequent beeping noises. It was a radio of sorts and multiple dots were crammed onto the tiny screen as flashing bulbs on the sides illuminated the room in an array of red and orange: the warning colours.

"Professor?" A honey blonde haired girl asked tentatively, her brow furrowed in concern. "Is something wrong?"

The Professor let out another large sigh before turning to face his protégée. A pained look flashed through his eyes before he took a bottle and splashed water over his face. It had been a while since Sycamore had reacted like that to his messages but the expression on his features was one that Serena was familiar with. The cause of his great distress lay hidden in the coded words he had received a few moments ago and the swarm of dots that had suddenly appeared on the machine.

"It's terrible." He muttered, tugging at his hair gently with one hand.

It was a habit Calem had observed whenever Professor Sycamore got nervous and it was generally a bad sign, an omen of something terrible. Augustine Sycamore was a charismatic man and to see him such disarray was a worrying sight.

"Absolutely awful." Sycamore continued, beginning to pace in his lab. "Serena." He suddenly paused and looked up at her. "Go and call Calem, he should be at Prism Tower with Clemont and Bonnie. I have something to tell you both."

Serena nodded, shrugging off her own lab coat and grabbing her hat from the stand on her way out after descending down the elevator. The midday sun was at its peak in the sky, showering light down upon Lumiose City. Many citizens were outside, enjoying the weather as they crowded around small tables set out in front of the cafes that dotted the street. In reality, Kalos was a much more peaceful region in comparison to that of Kanto or Johto where signs of disrupt had long since appeared. Here, people could afford to relax and live, even if they were confined into the gates of the city.

The young girl sat down upon the steps leading to the lab before hastily clipping on her roller skates to her shoes. In such a large area, the quickest way to get around was to use a bike or simply skate and Serena preferred the latter. She got to her feet and jumped down the steps, bending her knees as she landed before taking off down the rounded streets of the city and into one of the many alleyways leading to the heart of Lumiose: Prism Tower.

It was very much a sight to behold, even in the day when the lights weren't even on. The tower stationed at the very centre was one of the most iconic features of the Kalos region's major capital, but it was also the base of the Fifth Division where Leader Clemont helped supply the defences with his intricate machines. He was a genius to say the least and at the age of 18, only one year older than Calem and Serena herself, he was the youngest Division Leader in the region.

"Hey Serena! Over here!" A young, feminine voice called out to her.

Serena turned and a grin appeared on her face. "Bonnie!" She sped up and embraced the other girl in a hug. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She was rather petite in structure with rather short lemon blonde hair, held up in a side pony. The girl wore a brown shirt with little sleeve and a poofed out white skirt that looked childish on her even if she was around the age of 13.

"Jeez, Seré." Bonnie pouted, trying to fold her arms as if she was upset with her friend. "You should really come to visit more. I see boring old Calem every day."

"Hey, I heard that!"

The two laughed as they were joined by two figures. One was a boy with blonde hair with large circular glasses obscuring most of his face, clad in a blue coverall stained with patches of grease and a large backpack around his shoulders. The other was another boy with short black hair and grey eyes. A red cap was perched on his head with large sunglasses on top of that and he was wearing an outfit made up of a blue jacket and trousers along with brown hiking boots.

"Boooring!" Bonnie repeated in his face, dragging out her vowels.

Calem pulled a face before clasping his hand over her mouth to shut her up. "What are you doing here anyway, Seré?"

"Ah!" She tapped her head as she remembered. "Yeah, the Professor has another message for the two of us. We should hurry back, he was in an awful state when I left him."

Serena grabbed his arm to pull him back, missing the light blush on his face that crept up to his cheeks the moment they made contact. Calem glanced down and adjusted his hat, feeling his face burn before skating towards the labs behind her. Clemont and Bonnie watched the two retreating figures, sharing a glance and grinning sneakily.

"He likes her."

"Totally."

* * *

"Professor Sycamore!"

"Prof!"

The two burst out of the lift as the doors finally opened with a soft 'ping' and scrambled towards Sycamore's desk where he was waiting with their briefs. The mood was solemn to say the least. The Professor's second nervous habit had appeared as he drummed his fingers on the polished wooden surface of a once cluttered table.

Nervous habit number three was impulsive cleaning.

Calem took a step forwards as the man appeared to have not heard their clumsy entrance. He was deep in thought, resting his chin on his free hand as he reread the sheet of paper in front of him.

"Um… Professor Sycamore?"

No response.

The two teens sighed, Serena shook her head with a 'I can't believe I have to resort to this' look on her face.

"Papa?" She called out to him in her sweetest voice.

The results were instantaneous. He jumped up to his feet, his chair flying out from underneath him. "Serena darling?"

The heavy silence followed his sudden outburst before the man realised where he was. His lips shifted into an 'o' shapes before he slapped his face with both hands.

"Ah, right. You're both here." Professor Sycamore gave an embarrassed cough and straightened out his clothes. "I've just received word from the League Headquarters." He gave a loud sigh. "The monsters are on the move and have decimated another town."

Serena gasped, a hand flying over her mouth. "That's horrible…"

"Is there anything we can do for them, Professor?" Calem asked, furrowing his brow. "We're ready to go out at any moment."

"Ah but you see… This time I haven't received distress signals from anywhere in Kalos… It's Kanto." Professor Sycamore explained. His reluctance in sending them away was growing more and more obvious. "The base of Kanto's 8th Division, Viridian City has been completely destroyed and-"

"Say no more Professor!" Serena cut him off. "The League requested for people to help with aid and relief, right?"

Professor Sycamore's eyes widened as he realised what she was inferring, raising his arms in the air. "But I couldn't possibly-"

"We're you're ace field assistants, aren't we?" Calem interrupted. "We can handle it!"

"The two of you aren't even of age yet!" He protested, running a hand through his hair again. "I'm supposed to be responsible for your safety. Your parents won't be pleased to hear that you're going to the most dangerous and far off region."

He took several papers off from his floor and aligned them up, leafing through them and shaking his head. "I'll tell the League that I won't be able to-"

"What kind of field assistants to the League professor would we be, if we couldn't handle a request like this?" The two chimed together.

Professor Sycamore frowned. "Where are you going with this..?"

"Professor…" Serena hesitated. "Do you not trust us?"

The man felt a prickle of guilt surge through him.

"We went to Ambrette before with Trevor and that turned out fine." Calem added in hopes of convincing him.

"Korrina has overseen our mastery of off-peak skating too." Serena pointed out, gesturing towards her clip on skates that had been adapted to rough roads and the wilderness.

"And Valerie has been teaching us self-defence, she may not look it but she is crazy strong." The dark haired teen mentioned before dropping his voice to a grumble. "It must be that furisode she always wears… It weighs a ton."

Sycamore sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "It looks like I can't do anything to change your mind." He complained almost childishly. "I'll let you go… Only if you get consent you're your guardians."

The two instantaneously brightened up, they were almost certain that they would receive permission. Grace, Serena's mother, lived for the thrill of life and had only settled down when her daughter was born. She used to be a risk taker and was almost ecstatic at the fact that her own kin was doing something of the sort, albeit with a small trace of motherly worry. Grace was the sort of woman that let her daughter make her own decisions as soon as she was old enough to. At the age of 17, she trusted Serena to do what she thought was best.

Calem's parents on the other hand were well-known members of the Kalosian League, they themselves beginning their training before the usual age of 18 like many other over eager teens, desperate to protect their region. From their own experiences, they encouraged the boy to get a head start and began to teach him all they knew about defence and the monsters, starting from a basic level.

"Video call them, and then we'll see if we can make flight arrangements from here to Cyllage City and then to Kanto." Sycamore said with a defeated tone, bending down to pick up the fallen papers. "But _only_ if they agree."

"Thanks Professor!" They spoke at the same time before hurriedly leaving his office and across the street to one of the three red roofed buildings that lined the bustling streets of Lumiose.

The safe houses or relief centres as they were more widely known as, were undoubtedly one of the more important buildings built for the war, distinctively marked by their crimson tops. In Kalos and most likely every other region, they brought aid and comfort, a welcome support in the harsh times the people were living in. Each one was equipped with the basics of several rooms for travellers, an operating theatre, a few wards and video calling booths as well as a full-time working Nurse who mysteriously looked identical to every other healer in every centre.

Calem and Serena stepped into the building, the automatic doors sliding behind them, to be greeted by an overwhelming sense of warmth. The ever present humming of the machines continued on as a pink haired woman exited a room where the glowing 'operating' sign had faded off.

"How is he, Nurse Joy?" A worried elderly woman asked, lifting her head from the table she had been resting at whilst the pair made their way to the booths at the other side of the room.

The young woman gave her a kindly smile. "He should be just fine, it's just a little wound from a bite so he should be up and about in a short moment."

Relief flooded her face as she finally relaxed. "Oh thank goodness…"

Their conversation grew quieter as they crossed the polished floors of the relief centre.

"Hey… Calem..?"

The said teen glanced over at his companion, taken aback by the sorrowful look in her eyes. "Y-yes?"

Serena sighed, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "Why do they have to do this?"

Calem blinked at her.

"The monsters." She elaborated. "Why do they have to attack us?"

His mouth moved into an 'o' shape. "Well, no one knows why but I guess it's in their nature. They're not sentient beings like we are so maybe their filled with some sort of blood lust."

"It's sad." She declared in a finalising way, pulling out a stool in front of one of the machines to call her mother. "If their thoughts are rules by pure wrath then it's just sad."

Calem hadn't said anything after that but it was probably because he was calling his own parents.

Serena tapped in the numbers for her home phone, listening to the melodic tone that played after every key she typed. Soon enough, her mother appeared before her eyes.

"Bonjour, ma mere!" She greeted cheerfully, as if she had never been in a dejected state moments before. "How are things back in Vaniville Town? Have the sentries been doing their job?"

"Bonjour, Serena." Grace nodded at her. "It's good to hear from you again, everything is great over here. There haven't been many monster appearances recently and it's probably as peaceful as you can get. How is it over in Lumiose? Is city life starting to get boring after that thrilling trip to Ambrette?"

"Ah… about that." Serena began, smiling sweetly at the screen.

Her mother's eyes lit up. "Let me guess, that man is sending you away again! Where is it to this time? Snowbelle City? Geosenge Town?"

"Kanto."

Grace's smile faltered slightly. "Kanto? That's pretty far away… and dangerous."

Serena watched her mother, unsure whether her decision would benefit her or not. "He's not forcing us to go or anything. The Professor was reluctant to send us off but we finally convinced him and he said we would be allowed to go with parent consent."

"And so you came straight here to ask me." She mused thoughtfully.

"I know it's dangerous there but I can't back down now. The League is depending on the Professor to send someone." Serena said. "Calem and I work well together too; we've never been injured in the field and we've been at it for ages."

"Look honey." She sighed eventually. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, you're a grown girl, even if you're not legally recognised as an adult in the eyes of the League. You're old enough to make your own choices and if you want to go to Kanto to do whatever whacky task that man wants you to complete, then all I can do is support you to the best of my abilities."

"Mum…"

"Serena, just promise me that you'll stay safe and be cautious."

The two females shared a smile. "Of course, I promise." She held up her pinkie in a childish manner and her mother did the same. "I'll come back with Calem as soon as I'm done there."

Grace laughed lightly. "That's my girl. Do me proud, okay? Tell that partner of yours I said hi and send my love to that old geezer."

"His isn't old, Mum." Serena giggled, imagining the appalled face her father would pull if her mother ever said it to his face.

"He's older than I am." She winked before pausing. "Call me again once you reach Kanto."

"Will do, Mum." Serena nodded. "I'll talk to you soon." And with that, she ended the call.

The honey blonde haired girl had a content smile on her features as she got up from her seat.

"I take it that it went well?"

Serena glanced up, noting the bright look in her partner's eyes. "It sure did, and I'm guessing it was the same over at your end."

He nodded. "I don't think that Sycamore actually expected our parents to agree." Calem adjusted his hat as they stepped foot from the centre, walking side by side with her.

She rolled her eyes. "He knows my mother; there was no way in hell that she was ever going to say that I couldn't go."

Calem hazarded a guess. "So he's just in denial."

"Probably."

* * *

Serena sighed, resting her chin on her propped up elbow as she stared out of the small window belonging to the aircraft with a forlorn look in her eyes. They had only just recently taken off and Calem had almost instantly reclined his chair, much to the disgruntlement of those sitting behind him, and dozed off with his head lolled to one side. He looked peaceful in his current state and dare she say it- calm- and she was rather jealous.

The news stories in Kanto were frequently broadcasted on TV and now that she was actually on her way to the region, her nerves began to set in. There were too many reports about attacks for it all to be a rare occurrence there like it was in Kalos and that fact alone made her uneasy.

But she had promised. She had promised the friends that she had left behind and Serena Levesque was a woman of her word.

"_I can't believe you're going away again so soon!" Bonnie whined, clinging to her friend's skirt in a desperate manner. "And to that region of all places!"_

_Serena released the younger girl from a tight hug before ruffling her hair. "It's okay Bonnie, Calem and I are fine with it."_

"_Jeez…" She pouted, crossing her arms. "Just because you two are, doesn't mean I am! It's going to be so boring without the two of you."_

"_Bonnie!" Clemont exclaimed in a reproachful tone. "Don't be so selfish. Serena and Calem have their duty to Professor Sycamore's field work just as we have our duties to the 5__th__ Division. They can't just play all day, especially with what's happening in Kanto right now."_

_She hesitated for a moment, deep in thought before letting out a defeated sigh. "You better come back alright, or else!" _

_The older girl laughed as her partner was saying farewell to Clemont. "Cross my heart." She promised, nodding at her. _

_Bonnie instantaneously brightened up. "Got it! Bye bye Serena, Calem!"_

_Sycamore stood to the side waiting patiently, his eyes exposing his own emotions. "Stay safe, okay?" He told them for the umpteenth time. "Remember to prioritise your own safety above everything else, I don't care if I lose several documents of research if it means putting the two of you in danger."_

_And Serena and Calem had nodded earnestly, taking his words to heart with some reluctance. _

Serena blinked back to attention as she was startled by a large shout nearby.

"What's going on here?" A panicked voice cried out. "What's happening?"

Several murmurs broke out between the passengers as they turned towards the speaker, a rather burly looking man donning a sailor's uniform. His eyes were wide with horror as he had leapt out of his seat, pointing at whatever was out of his window.

Serena looked again, having not paid much attention to whatever was outside before.

She froze.

"Calem." She hissed, shaking her partner awake. "Calem, wake up, this is important."

The black haired teen groggily rubbed his eyes, covering his mouth with a hand as he tried to stifle a yawn. "Sere..? What is it?"

"Look."

He leant across her seat to peer out of the window, letting out a small 'oh' as he noticed them.

The surrounding areas were thick with varying shapes as thousands and thousands of monsters had gathered in the sea and the air.

* * *

**AN: **Okay, okay. I'm progressively trying to make my chapters longer. Please review and tell me what you think!

Next chapter: We're heading back to Viridian City with Gary and Ash


	5. Chapter 4: Gary

Ouch. It's been a while since the last update and I'm so sorry ._. I'm awful at keeping up with anything but I wrote like half of this before hitting a block somewhere and I would just spend ages just staring at the word document. But I will try harder next time, promise~

Huge thank you to Pure Gamer and pikagurl23 for their reviews, nothing makes me happier than turning on my laptop and finding such nice comments.

So enjoy~ I literally just finished this a few moments ago because I really wanted to update soon so I apologise in advance if there's anything choppy about the structure or if there're mistakes.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Déjà vu**

* * *

Last time:

"_G-Gary..?" Ash hesitantly moved forwards, unsure of what to do for his friend. "Everyone in Pallet would understand if you don't want to join the League anymore-"_

"_No Ash." He interrupted. "If anything, I'm more desperate to join the League than ever… I swear." He muttered in an increasingly angry voice. "I swear I'll get to the top and bring an end to this damn war."_

"_And I'll do it too."_

_The brown haired teen's expression morphed into one of surprise for a brief moment._

"_Really?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Will you really?"_

_Ash nodded, determination flaring in his eyes. "I'm going to join the League too." So that I can change its workings from the inside in hopes of being able to coexist with these so called monsters._

_Gary relaxed, holding out a hand for his friend to shake. "Then we can do this together. We'll join the League and crush them. For good." _

Gary

He silently pocketed the Viridian Division badge, the metal weighing down the material of his trousers. It was an unsettling weight. The emblem reminded him of his childhood memories where he would spend days fantasizing about what it would be like to one day leave his godforsaken hillbilly town to start a new life as a soldier.

But don't get him wrong, it wasn't as if he hated living in Pallet Town, he came to know great people there. It was just… too quiet for his liking. The brown haired teen craved a life of adventure and of glory and in a world where all of that was a possibility in the next city over, toiling over fields and harvesting crops paled greatly in comparison.

Leaf has it easy. She was already pouring her heart and soul into work for the League whilst Gary had been forced to resort to practicing his knife work in whatever free time he could get. The arrival of his 18th Birthday was just what he needed as a 'Get out of jail free' card of sorts but then his entire world came crashing down around him.

Viridian City.

It was like his own Nirvana, an unreachable utopia. And now, it drifted even further from his grasp. Gary cast his hardened gaze across the ruins once more, mapping out the city in his mind as Ash trudged behind him.

A heap of red tiles marked the spot where the relief centre would have stood. He could just picture the ever optimistic Nurse Joy of the city greeting the newcomers with her trademark smile and the smell of antiseptics and sterilisers, similarly to how his Grandfather's lab was.

They moved past the shopping district where the blue topped buildings lay crumbling and towards the residential area, the most likely place where they would find survivors – if there were any.

Gary's eyes widened in a flash as he reflexively clasped a hand over his mouth and nose, slapping himself in the process. A sickly sweet, acrid scent had drifted towards them, growing stronger as they moved on. He felt like gagging as the smell lingered under his nose.

"What is that?" He heard Ash cough from behind him, his voice muffled by what was probably his own hand. "It reminds me of the time where that bull monster your grandpa had died and the some of the villagers roasted the carcass on a spit."

The brunette paused. "They burned the meat?"

"Well duh." His friend came up beside him. "My mum complained about how the stench of smoke wouldn't leave for ages. She said no matter how much she cleaned and redid the laundry, the-"

Gary began to tune him out, a sense of nausea flooding through him. Ash probably hadn't realised yet but he did. Of course he would have noticed. The smoking buildings and knowing that the city folk didn't rear any animals made the facts painfully obvious.

The entire city had been turned into a giant crematorium for the living.

He immediately quickened his pace, hurrying towards the closest house before turning to bark orders to his friend who looked thoroughly confused at his sudden actions.

"Quit dawdling Ashy-boy and help me check these homes." He yelled at him, his hand still covering his face. "I'll start here and you go to the other end and we'll work our way towards the middle. If there's anyone still left, they'll need our help."

Ash shut up as he noticed the serious tone in Gary's voice. "On it." He nodded, rushing towards the other side of the houses.

The brown haired teen turned his back on the retreating form of his friend to survey the charred door in front of him. The building seemed stable enough and didn't look as if it would fall down if he tried to break open the door.

He took several steps back, raising his free arm before charging and bracing for impact. The old wood gave way at the sudden force and toppled to the ground with a bang.

Gary held his breath.

One.

Two.

Three.

Minus the minor crumbling of one of the walls, the building remained upright, well, what was left of it anyway. He hadn't noticed before but the entire back of the house had collapsed on itself, overturning kitchens tables and cracking ceramic pots holding dead blossoms with soil sprayed across the floor tiles.

A blackened heap was sprawled across the rubble and the sense of nausea returned much too strongly for Gary's liking. He felt the bile rising in the back of his throat but didn't turn away. His body refused to turn away. Instead, he slowly shuffled towards it, his knees going weak as he got closer and closer.

Soon enough, he could begin to make out the details.

It was a man. A charcoal black, middle aged man with his arm stretched out towards whatever mysterious force had been present at the time. His mouth was contorted in agony and his eye sockets were hollow. It was if a single disturbance would reduce the corpse to a pile of dust.

And the smell was much more potent than ever.

Steadying his ragged breath, Gary took a step back. There was no chance that the man had survived through the attack and by the looks of it, he had lived alone and died alone: a pitiful existence for a pitiful race of creatures, forced into hiding by another force. He coughed and another emotion welled up inside of him, a burning anger as he hungered for revenge.

Without another word, Gary left the building and began to check the others houses that were in a similar state. As he stumbled across corpse after corpse, his hatred for the monsters swelled. Of course they would all pay. Gary clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he caught sight of a young child frozen in the same state as every other citizen of Viridian that he had seen previously. She was clutching the remains of a small stuffed toy, oblivious until the moment her life had ended.

He felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. "Gary…"

It was Ash. He looked thoroughly dishevelled as the faint scent of sick lingered on his clothes. The brunette lifted his head as his friend tried his best to pull a weak smile that became more of a grimace than anything else. It seemed that he had suffered through the same ordeal as he did as the bright spark of curiosity that usual lit his eyes had vanished.

"We should get going." Gary choked, his voice hoarse. "We need to report back to Gramps, everyone in Pallet is desperate for news so they're all waiting for us to get back."

"R-right."

"And I guess that you haven't found anyone either..?" Gary muttered darkly, straightening himself out. "Let's get out of the residential district, the stench here is sickening."

Ash nodded silently and the two hurried back the way they had arrived, the images of what they had just seen weighing heavily down on their mind. Gary had just barely coped with the ordeal but it was positively traumatising for the raven haired teen who had woken up that day with a sleepy smile and a relaxed attitude.

"Hey Gary…" Ash spoke up quietly. "S-shouldn't those people… get a proper burial?"

Gary had to admit, Ash's question deserved some merit but he didn't want to reply. First and foremost, Ash was naïve. He was still 17 but just a week or so younger than Gary so his long awaited coming of age birthday was right around the corner but he was still childish in many ways, believing that the world's problems could be solved through a bright smile. Although it didn't show too much, the events of Viridian hit him hard. Of course Gary could tell, they were best friends after all.

"They will when we're sure that the monsters won't come back here for a while." Gary responded shortly, not daring to even bring up the possibility of them simply lying there to turn to dust. Leaf had been telling him the month before that the last major attack hadn't occurred since his great grandpa's time when his grandpa was just a baby. With the recent news, there was no doubt that there would be a panic and people would be reluctant to leave the boundaries of their towns to bury others they didn't know.

It was understandable, humans were selfish. That was Leaf's favourite saying. They prioritised survival and passing on their legacy above all else and it was a clear threat to go anywhere near Viridian City for a prolonged amount of time and besides, the Lavender Town Cemetery was full to bursting with graves.

"I guess that's okay then." Ash murmured after a while, accepting the answer.

The pair had made it to the centre of the town when Ash spoke up again.

"You know, that really opened my eyes." He started, casting his gaze down at his feet. "It made me realise what Dad must have been through during his time in the League."

Gary look at him, startled. His friend rarely spoke of his father, mainly because he was a little angry that he had abandoned him and his mother in Pallet Town to pursue his career as the Indigo Plateau Division Head.

"It made me realise that he must have been pretty brave and strong to have dealt with that every day," Ash continued. "His name _is_ the most well known in all of Kanto and Johto."

Gary hesitated, unsure whether to respond or let him talk.

"And that terrifies me."

"Wait, what?" Gary's eyebrows shot up at his sudden statement. "Why? Shouldn't you be proud of your Dad's achievements?"

Ash stared at him. "Because everyone knows the name Ketchum."

Gary waited for him to continue, still confused.

His friend sighed. "They'll all have expectations of me. Ash Ketchum, son of the famous Red Ketchum. The brilliant Red Ketchum. The Amazing Red Ketchum. The best soldier the Indigo Plateau has ever seen."

And then Gary understood, he nearly slapped himself at not noticing earlier. The pressure of being Red's son must have gotten to him. The brunette laughed reassuringly. "That's not like you, Ashy-boy. Lighten up a little. Sure, everyone admires your Dad, me included, but you're obviously not him."

Ash raised an eyebrow and Gary grimaced. "Sorry, sorry. What I mean to say is that you're you. You are your own person and it doesn't matter if your dad is _the_ Red Ketchum because you'll accomplish enough for your own name to be remembered for _your_ achievements."

The raven haired teen looked speechless for a moment before his lips spread into his usual bright grin. "Thanks Gary. I really needed that."

Gary looked away in embarrassment, refusing to meet his friend's eyes. "It's nothing… I just did it because it's freaky to see you looking the complete opposite way that you usually do."

"Thank you anyway."

Gary said nothing after that, instead leading the way back through Viridian City towards the route that they came. They moved in silence. Ash was probably still dwelling on his father, having never put too much thought towards him before whilst Gary simply didn't feel like talking.

The day's events had put a huge damper on his spirit and probably created a large blockade in the path of his League career. It was highly unlikely that his Grandpa would let him travel to Pewter City, with or without Ash, where the First Division was located with little to no training. It was dangerous, even more so now that the monsters have made a move, destroying the Eighth Division no less. If things continued as they were, Gary would never be able to leave the town.

They neared the outskirts of the city without uttering a single word and the brown haired teen kept a hand over his knife hanging from his belt. They had already spent a couple of hours away from Pallet Town and every second they spent away was another second of their friends and family worrying for their safety.

As he cast his gaze towards the Route, he froze, chills running down his spine as he was rendered almost speechless.

"But why… we still have hours of daylight…" He murmured to himself, squinting towards the surrounding forests.

Ash opened his mouth to ask what but he saw it himself.

Well, it would be more accurate to say that he heard it himself.

As they grew closer and closer to the edge of Viridian, a chorus of different squawks and cries bombarded their senses. It was as if the forest itself was crying out. Shrubs and trees would rustle every now and again and Gary spotted several creatures scuttling from bush to bush in a hurry as bird monsters would beat their wings angrily from somewhere nearby.

"I don't understand…" Ash gaped, instinctively taking a step back. "Why are they so restless like this? They were fine when we arrived."

Gary narrowed his eyes, his tone dripping with urgency. "Come on, Ash. We need to go _now. _When night falls we'll be in even more danger, they'll be no place to hide and the monsters will be the most active then."

Ash snapped out of his stupor as Gary omitted his childhood nickname for the first time in a while. "You're right." He whispered, growing nervous as he saw his friend take out his knife from his belt, the wicked blade glinting almost ominously in the light.

"Come on!" Gary yelled, noticing that Ash looked reluctant. He quickly grabbed him by the arm but the teen firmly grounded himself.

"No, Gary, look at that."

He turned his head in frustration, his eyes following the direction that Ash's finger was pointing towards.

"Oh no." He paled. "Anything but that."

Thousands of dark specks could be seen above the treetops on the other side of Viridian City, they were some ways away but the two could already make out what they were. Monsters. Huge flying, beastly looking monsters set on the path straight to Pallet Town.

"That must have been what destroyed Viridian City." Ash whispered.

"And it looks like they're back for more." Gary snarled. "We need to move and warn everyone before they arrive. We need time to initiate the emergency evacuation plan."

Every town and city had an escape route, the League made sure of that ever since the first incident all those years ago. All they needed was enough time but it seemed like Viridian City was caught off guard and the entire area was reduced to rubble.

"Go go go!" Gary set off at a sprint straight down the beaten path that was known as Route 1. It curved sharply at several points but the area had been left untouched for so long that patches of long, wild grass grew over several areas.

"Gary, watch out!"

The warning came just in time as a small bird monster came shooting from the trees with a glowing beak. Gary hurriedly ducked as it just missed him before swooping back into the air and squawking angrily. It made to move again with the glowing beak once more but the brunette swatted at it with his knife and it let out a startled cry, looping around to avoid the armed teen.

"Pidgey!" It called out angrily before disappearing into the trees with a flourish of feathers.

Gary scowled, keeping his knife hand ready in case it decided to come back. "That was a close call…."

His friend came up beside him and nodded in agreement, holding his own blade nervously. "It's okay though, we have each other's backs."

"Right, right. Enough with the sappy friend stuff, we have a town to warn."

The pair took off at a run again when Gary noticed something peculiar to avoid the tall grass where more monsters inevitably lay waiting. He tugged at his friend's jacket and pointed to where several small ledges formed a short cut to Pallet.

"Just like when we were kids." Ash mused as they turned off the path and leaped down, landing with bent knees to help their fall. "It was easier and quicker to jump down rather than follow the path so we made a game out of it, didn't we?"

Gary grunted in response, reminding the boy about how serious their current predicament was. A purple rat leaped out from a nearby brush as if to prove his point and Ash let out a yelp as it sunk its overly large front teeth into one of his fingers. Panicking, he swung his arm around his head, trying to get the monster off him but it remained true and latched on more tightly than ever.

"Calm down, Ashy boy!" Gary said, making a grab for the rat and missing the wriggling monster miserably.

Ash pulled a face, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Get it off! Get it off! I feel like it's going to bite my finger off!"

The brunette scowled, raising his knife. "Hold still."

That stopped the flailing teen where he stood. The blade was nothing compared to what League soldiers used but it was still sharp enough to cut through both the rat and his hand without blunting the edge. Ash clenched his teeth and stuck out his left arm from which the monster was clinging from, an invitation for Gary to go ahead and do his thing, namely cut the damn rat so it would bugger off, potentially injured enough to not bother anyone for a while.

Gary twirled the knife between his fingers before slashing at the monster with a simple horizontal stroke. It made a high pitched squealing sound before releasing its grip on the finger and Ash took the opportunity to fling it back into the bush from which it sprung from before inspecting his bleeding digit with a frown. Gary sighed, he didn't have any healing items or water on him to clean the wound and judging from how hastily they left, Ash didn't either.

"There's not much we can do about that." He observed. "Just try to stop the bleeding and we can have Gramps or maybe Leafy take a look at it quickly when we get back."

Ash shrugged and wiped away the blood that began to drip from his hand. "It bit deeper that I thought, I just hope that it doesn't get infected."

"You and me both, Ashy-boy."

They picked up their pace once more having passed the half way mark a long time ago, their stride more hasty than normal after the entire fiasco with the bird and rat monsters. Every now and again, Ash would curse under his breath, nursing his injury after reluctantly shredding an arm of his jacket to create a makeshift bandage and Gary would elbow him, grumbling about how the flying hoard of monsters were still on their way and they were stalling because really, it shouldn't have taken that long to get from Viridian to Pallet.

As they neared Pallet Town, they were first noticed by the guard on wall duty who caused a big ruckus, calling everyone out from their houses. The panicked look and fatigued state of the two teens' faces as they skidded into the safety of the town boundaries were enough to tell them that something was severely wrong.

"Mum, everyone, we have to get out of here quickly!" Ash began as Gary searched the gathering crowd for the familiar elderly man in the white lab coat. "We went to Viridian and searched the entire city for survivors and it was awful. Everything was ruined and destroyed and, oh I don't know, but when we were leaving. Monsters! A lot of monsters! Flying from the mountains and… and… and-"

"Slow down Ash, you're talking too fast." Professor Oak appeared in front of the teen and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Take a deep breath and tell us what happened."

"There's a giant swarm of Flying classed monsters coming from the mountains." Gary explained before Ash could utter another word. "We think it's what destroyed Viridian and its heading straight for Pallet Town."

There was a pause as the townspeople hung on to every syllable the brown haired teen spoke. His words were slowly processed through their minds and there was a collective cry of horror as they tried to decide the best course of action. They all seemed to reach the same conclusion because for the second time that day, all hell broke loose.

* * *

**AN:** I like to think that I'm getting a lot better with chapter lengths but maybe not so much..? Please review and tell me what you think, hearing from you guys really make my day.

Next Chapter: The somewhat peaceful, somewhat war struck region of Hoenn with our very own wonderful May


End file.
